Dirty Maverick (The Maxwell Family)

by Alycia Taylor

  When they were ready to begin, I watched Ian’s opponent come out and I found myself sizing him up. I worried that his arms looked more muscular than Ian’s and maybe his legs were a little bit longer. I told myself that I was being stupid worrying about him for two reasons: #1. He knew what he was doing and I’d seen him do it. He was good. #2. He wasn’t mine to worry about. After his opponent, Hugo Montalba came out and made it into the octagon; I finally got to feast my eyes on the eye candy that was Ian. As soon as I caught sight of his smooth, oiled chest I remembered what it felt like underneath my fingers and better yet, against my naked chest. I shuddered, and then I chastised myself again and then I finally turned my attention back to the cage up front. The referee had the two fighters in the center of the octagon doing whatever it was that referees do. When they finished all that, the buzzer sounded and “Hugo” was on him. I don’t know a lot about fighting but I heard the college guys saying that he was trying to get Ian down onto the ground. Apparently, if drunken college guys are to be believed, Ian’s boxing is much better than his “ground game,” mostly due to the fact that he was as fast as lightning on his feet.

  I watched as Hugo and Ian danced around for a while with Hugo’s beefy hands wrapped over the tops of Ian’s biceps. I could see him swinging his right leg out in a sweeping motion, I assume to knock Ian off of his feet. Ian’s feet never stopped moving though, so they were hard to catch. Ian finally pulled back, breaking the other man’s grip and sending him propelling into the side of the octagon. His move back-fired I think, because Hugo came back with his body crouched and drove his shoulder into Ian’s stomach. Ian was gasping for breath and had to reach out for Hugo’s shoulders to steady himself. When he did, Hugo stood up quickly and knocked him back. I sucked in a hard breath as I watched him fall back and hit the mat. Hugo dove for him, but even off his feet Ian was quick. He rolled away and was up on his knees in one swift motion. Hugo came around behind him and tried to get him in a chokehold before Ian jumped to his feet. He twisted away from his opponent and then Ian immediately came back with a round kick and caught him hard in the side. He doubled over and that was when Ian threw his first punch. He caught the guy underneath the chin and he flew backwards. He landed on his back the way Ian had done only seconds before. He wasn’t as fast as Ian though, and it was almost his undoing…but then the buzzer rang and saved him from a pin.

  My eyes were glued to Ian as his chest rose and fell quickly and sweat rolled down the sides of his face and dripped off his chest. He took the water bottle his trainer handed him and squirted some in his mouth and then some over his head. I felt like a complete perv as I watched the water roll down across his shoulders and then slowly trace its way down the muscles of his arms and chest. I was mesmerized by it and all I could think about doing was touching him.

  The buzzer brought me out of my fantasy and Ian surged forward like a shot. He started to throw a roundhouse kick, but Hugo blocked it and went for Ian’s stomach again. He was ready for him this time and he moved out of the way, avoiding most of it. He came back with a jab to Hugo’s ribs, knocking the wind out of him. He used that to his advantage and started throwing punches and jabs at his opponents face and body. Hugo took a few good hits, but stayed on his feet. He rushed in and tried to grab Ian, but once again Ian was too fast. He turned to the side and Hugo missed him, and then he came back with a kick that caught Ian in the ribs. The shock of the direct hit caused Ian to turn away and the second he did, Hugo pounced on his back and took him down. Ian was on his stomach with Hugo’s arm around his neck when the second buzzer rang. I let out the breath I’d been holding the whole time.

  When the third bell rang Ian came out like a wild animal. He was throwing punches and connecting with Hugo’s sides until the other man staggered back and Ian gave him a hit…a chop maybe to the neck and caused him to stumble back. Hugo tried to manage a kick but he was already so off balance that when Ian blocked it, it caused him to lose his tentative hold and he tumbled back, hitting the floor with a loud thump. Ian was on him at once, pinning him with an arm to his throat and his knees driven into his sides. Hugo put up a good struggle and I thought Ian was going to give up his hold at one point. He didn’t though and after a bit, the fight was gone from the man underneath him and I watched as his right hand began to pound the floor. Ian looked up at the ref and then let go and stood up. The other man rolled onto his side, gasping for breath as Ian was announced as the winner. I was jumping up and down right along with the college guys, cheering for him before I even realized it. The adrenaline that was coursing through me was in charge all of a sudden and I loved the feeling.

  Chapter Four

  Ian

  I let myself enjoy the sounds of the crowd while my arm was raised and I was held up as the winner. I loved that sound…a low roar with the sound of my name right at the edges of it. It was like adrenaline for my soul. Hugo was still rolling around on the floor and his trainer was kneeling next to him. I knew he would be okay. He just needed to get his wind back. I let my trainer lead me out of the octagon and as soon as I got out amongst the crowd, I started looking for Alexa.

  I know it was stupid for me to still be holding out hope. She never text me back and she didn’t call…she didn’t come by the gym…what the hell would make me think she would show up here? I still looked though and just before we reached the back of the room I spotted her. I saw the top of her head…that pretty, shiny red hair. She was in the middle of the second to the last aisle, surrounded by a bunch of guys that looked like a college basketball team. She was cheering and laughing with them, but when she saw me she stopped. She lost her smile and made eye contact with me. Her green eyes locked onto mine and then she slowly lifted her hand and waved. I smiled and waved back. I wanted to tell her to wait for me, but there was no way to get to her. There were too many people in between us. I started to yell it out but decided that was too weird. So I followed my trainer back to the showers and the whole time I held my breath, hoping that she would wait for me.

  I finished my shower and got dressed. On my way out of the shower room I heard my name. I turned towards it and saw one of my friends, a guy named Brock that I went to high school with. He was with another guy I’d met a few times, Colton and two other guys I didn’t know.

  “Hey man!” Brock said, giving me a high five. “Sweet fight. You kicked that guy’s ass!”

  I smiled, “Yeah, I did,” I said. I was glad to see Brock. I liked hanging out with him. He was a lot of fun…but I could hardly stand still. I needed to get out front and see if Alexa waited for me.

  “We’re heading out to Cooler’s to grab a drink. Why don’t you come with?” Cooler’s was a bar that we’d been hanging out in since high school. The guy who owned it didn’t give a shit if you were old enough to drink or not, as long as your money was good.

  “You know what…I might have something else I need to do. Maybe I can catch up with you later?”

  “Yeah man, alright. We’ll be there for a while. Colton owes me a game of pool. Come on out.”

  “Okay, yeah I will try,” I said.

  Brock stepped closer then, leaving Colton and the other guys standing a few feet away and he said, “Hey man, I haven’t had a chance to tell you how sorry I am about your sister.”

  There it was, that steel toe to the chest feeling again. I know people mean well, but I was over their condolences. “Thanks,” I told him. “I have to get going, but hopefully I’ll catch you later.”

  “Alright man.” Brock and the other guys went out the back and I headed out to the front. When I got out there, the first thing I saw was that it looked empty. I wanted to put my fist through the wall. I turned back towards the back and kicked a chair out of my way. It flew across and hit the back wall.

  “Jeez! You didn’t get enough of that aggression out in the fight?” It was Alexa’s voice. I spun around and saw her.

  “Hi. Where did you come from?”

  “I was over there, checking out t
he octagon. Are you mad about something?” she said, pointing at the chair. I grinned at her and said, “Not anymore.”

  Chapter Five

  Ian

  Alexa and I walked out to the parking lot. It was the first time since we met that things were kind of awkward between us. I wanted to tell her about Kristy and how she had it all wrong…but it felt weird to just blurt it all out. When we got to my car I finally said, “You have time to go for a ride with me, so we can talk?”

  She looked slightly hesitant, but she agreed. We got in and I just started driving with no destination in mind. As we drove, I talked.

  “I freaked out when you left the other morning. I really had no idea what was going on. I didn’t know what I had done or why you were mad. Then I woke up the next morning and when I looked at my phone and saw the texts, I knew that had to be it.”

  “I shouldn’t have looked at them.”

  “Oh please. If I was in your bed and some guy’s name came up on your phone, you can bet your pretty little ass that I would read the text.” She smiled. That was a good sign. “The thing is that Kristy really is crazy. I broke up with her a year ago because she showed up at the gym one day and started wailing on the receptionist. The poor girl had left a message on my phone about a meet and greet they were having for one of the UFC fighters who happened to be in town. I don’t remember exactly what it said, but Kristy assumed it meant that I was screwing her. I pulled her off that poor girl and dragged her outside. She started wailing on me then and I managed to stuff her in her car. I told her I didn’t want to see her again and then I went back in and apologized profusely to Karen, the receptionist. Kristie laid low for about three days and then she just called me and acted like nothing had happened. I told her then I thought she was a little crazy and she needed to just stay away from me. Since then, she’s shown up probably ten different times at places she knows I’ll be at. She calls and texts at all hours of the day and night…I usually don’t even respond, and when I do, it’s just to tell her to leave me the hell alone.”

  “Wow, kind of scary.”

  I laughed, nervously. “Yeah, kind of. Emma used to tell me she had a fatal attraction.”

  “I did kind of remember that after I read your text.”

  I saw the turn-off for a road I knew was deserted and I took it. I parked the car underneath a street light and pulled out my phone. “I want you to know that I’m being honest with you.” I pulled up the texts from Kristie. I had about thirty of them saved. Once I get fifty, I archive them and start over…just in case. “So you can see how crazy she is.” She took the phone and I watched her face as she read them. I saw her curl her lip a few times and raise her eyebrows, she even laughed a little bit. After a few minutes, she handed back the phone and said, “Wow, she’s a mess.”

  I laughed and said, “Yeah, that’s putting it nicely. Alexa I have enjoyed hanging out with you so much. You have been the only person…the only one that has helped me deal with Emma’s…with losing her. You’re the only one I feel comfortable talking about her with. I’m a mess inside and something about being with you and talking to you calms me down. I need you in my life right now, Alexa. I hope that you’ll still want to be my friend…and more, if you’re interested in that. I just hope you believe me about Kristy.”

  “I believe you,” she said. “I worry for you now. You maybe should think about a restraining order.”

  I shrugged. For reasons of my own, I wasn’t comfortable getting the cops involved in my life even though I had threatened Kristy with that very thing. “Maybe if it gets worse.”

  She nodded and said, “I feel comfortable with you too, Ian. I had an amazing time the other night, that’s why it hurt so bad when I thought you were…that you had…”

  “Taken advantage of your vulnerability?”

  “Yeah, that,” she said with an embarrassed look. “I want to spend more time with you and I want to be your friend and I definitely want to explore it becoming more.”

  I felt like an idiot because I suddenly couldn’t stop smiling. I reached over and cupped her face in my hand and said, “Thank you. Things are just so fucked up right now. My family is falling apart and I was so afraid I was going to lose you too. I don’t know what it is, but since I first met you, everything has been just a little bit easier.”

  She was nodding again. “I know,” she said. “I try and talk to my dad and I went out with a friend of Emma’s and mine that we went to high school with and I tried to talk to her…somehow it hurts more when I talk about Emma to anyone but you.”

  “I’m really glad you came tonight.”

  “Me too. You were awesome by the way. You make it look so easy and I get all pumped up watching and start thinking I could even do it myself.”

  I laughed. “Please don’t. Your face is too pretty to have any one beating on it.”

  “So is yours,” she said. “Maybe you should have gone into wrestling instead. That way no one is throwing any punches.”

  Wrestling was a sore subject for me, but she didn’t know that…at least I didn’t think she did. I guess I don’t really know what Emma told her. Hoping she hadn’t gone there with her I just said, “I started wrestling in high school. I was pretty good at it, but after I started fighting I realized I was better on my feet. What about you, Alexa? What kinds of things do you like to do?”

  “I played water polo in high school and before that I played soccer for a lot of years.”

  “I thought you looked like a soccer player,” he said.

  “Why’s that?”

  “Let’s just say that soccer players have nice thick…muscular…legs and backsides.”

  She laughed and said, “You’re saying I have a big ass?”

  “I didn’t say “big” I said, “thick and muscular” and very, very hot.” She blushed then and it was so freaking cute, considering I’d already seen all of her and touched all of her. Just thinking about it was making me hard.

  “Okay, I’ll accept that,” she said. “I also like to ride horses.”

  “Do you have a horse?”

  “No, but a good friend of my dad’s has one that he lets me ride whenever. He lives out near the river and I go out there and spend the day sometimes. I love it. Emma used to go with me sometimes.”

  “Emma rode a horse?”

  Laughing, she said, “Why do you sound so skeptical?”

  “It’s hard for me to picture her on a horse.”

  “She liked it. We used to take a picnic lunch sometimes and ride and eat and just make a day of it.” She had tears in her eyes when she said, “I miss those days.”

  I still had my hand on her face. I didn’t think anything I could say to that would make her feel better, so I just gently ran my thumb across her soft cheek. She closed her eyes for a second and when she opened them she gave me a little forced smile. We just sat there like that, silently for a while and I finally asked her something that had been on my mind for a while, “Do you think Emma would have approved of us being together?”

  She gave me a genuine smile then and said, “Yeah, I do. I think she would have been very happy for us.”

  I couldn’t stand it any longer. I had to have those lips. I wrapped the hand that held her face up in that thick, sexy hair and gently pulled her towards me. Our lips crushed together and she parted hers to let my tongue inside. I kissed her and tasted her mouth and licked her lips until we were both panting and her pretty red lips were swollen. I drew back just slightly so we could both catch our breath and I saw the look of desire in her eyes. It made my erection stand up and strain against the inside of my jeans. It was almost painful.

  I unbuckled her and then me and with just one look we communicated what would come next. She climbed into the back and I followed her. I grabbed her and kissed her again letting my hands touch that beautiful body all over. I felt her hands at the waist of my jeans and when she got them unbuckled I felt skin against skin as she slid her hand down inside. I swear I nearly c
ame right then. She wrapped her warm hand around my cock and fireworks exploded inside my head and as she gently moved her hand up and down over it, I felt it growing even harder.

  It felt so fucking good, but I was really afraid I was going to cum in her hand. I wanted her so bad. I used my hand to move hers…reluctantly and then I pushed my jeans down. I kept my eyes on her as she stripped and at the same time, I awkwardly removed my own clothes. When we were both naked, she put her hand against my chest and pushed me back into the seat. She positioned herself so that she could take my cock into her mouth.

  “Oh fuck, Alexa. Oh baby…” Nothing about what she was doing tonight was slow and seductive. She seemed to be in as big of a hurry as I was. Her tongue was practically assaulting me and her hand was moving fast as she licked and sucked. I never wanted her to stop. I’d never felt anything so good. I didn’t want to come in her mouth either though so although it took every ounce of strength inside of me I pulled her face back up to mine and replaced my cock with my tongue in her hot wet little mouth. As we kissed, my hands found her beautiful breasts and her rock hard nipples. I twisted them between my thumb and forefinger for a while but then I had to have them in my mouth. It was my turn to push her back against the seat and I sucked one of them all the way into my mouth. I continued my full on assault on the other one with my hand. She had her hands in my hair and she was pressing my face into her chest and moaning. God, she was so fucking sexy…I just couldn’t get enough.